Well, to be fair that announcement may be about the ending of the registration process - but not necessary the process of legalizing undocumented migrants which may take some more time...OR did they re-open the registration of undocumented migrants again... and just recently ended it again. An announcement of the Deputy Prime Minister that appeared in Malay Mail early last month seems to indicate this..

October 2, 2013 Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin chaired the meeting which decided that the 6P programme to legitimise illegal workers will not be extended. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — The Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants has decided not to extend the whitening process for employers to document their migrant workers under the ‘6P’ Programme. The decision was made in a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the Parliament building here today. The 6P programme which was initiated in October 2011 and ended last month, referred to six processes in resolving the issue of illegal foreign workers and immigrants in the country. - Malay Mail, 2/10/2013, 6P whitening programme will not be extended

But wait, the Home Minister also did come out and say in September 2013....that 6P on again. Confusion...confusion. Did not the 6P registration of undocumented migrants with the possibility of being legalized end in January 2012, and now again it seems to have re-started for those arrested and detained. Who is going to be doing the registration this time around - the same 300 authorized agents (the private sector companies/business), or will it be done by the government directly? Did their authorization or license not expire in 2012 when the 6P ended in January 2012?

Illegal immigrants detained under the Ops 6P Bersepadu crackdown in the country will be given another chance to be legalised, said Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The Home Minister said this was in view of the country's need for foreign manpower in certain sectors. Some 5,000 illegal immigrants have been detained since the start of the crackdown on Sunday but not all of them will deported, Dr Ahmad Zahid said. "We will provide the facility for employers to register these workers to be re-legalised under 6P because we are considering the shortage of manpower in certain sectors, which we reckon foreign workers are needed. - The Star, 6/9/2013, Ahmad Zahid: Another chance for illegals detained under 6P crackdown

Now, this is where it gets confusing ....6P on...6P off - and so easy to cheat migrant workers and employers in these situations.... That is why there must be an Act of Parliament, Regulations/Rules that specify all details like 'how much do you pay? Who do you pay? -the Immigration Department or this 'authorized agents' of the government? And if an when 6P is to be open again - issue an ORDER (Perintah) that will be available on the Home Ministry Website and the Immigration Website... It is because of all this INEFFICIENCIES, or should we say failures, people get cheated... Why could the Immigration Department handle everything ...or some other government department? The government can always employ temporary employees to take care of all these registration, etc ... Authorizing private companies/businesses, some of which may be the same that have a history of cheating/abusing migrant workers - the 'agents' - and you ask them to be government agents?

So, for the legalization of the 503,000 undocumented migrant workers that transformed these workers into documented migrant workers, it took almost 20 months... , and the fact that less than 40% were legalized is bad...very bad. The undocumented came out willingly with the hope of being legalized, and most of them end up being deported... [I wonder what the 503,000 did for the last 20 months when their status was 'uncertain' - did they have to resort to corruption to stay in Malaysia? Were they given temporary permits to continue to work? A lot of questions so little answers...]

Now, we have been hearing that a lot of migrant workers and also potential employers of migrant workers had been cheated by these 'government agents' or others behaving like authorized agents of the government..

So, to give justice to those employers (not the migrant workers??), the government have a new programme - a
special illegal immigrant management programme (PKPP)[beginning Oct 21 2013 until Jan 20 2014]. What about those undocumented migrant workers who have been cheated??? - Should they also have the right to get justice?

Meanwhile,
employers who claimed to have been cheated in the whitening process by
unscrupulous agents could refer their case to the Home Ministry under a
special illegal immigrant management programme (PKPP).

A statement issued by the cabinet committee said the PKPP was aimed at resolving the plight of such employers.

“The PKPP is also aimed at reducing the existing number of illegal
immigrants, ensuring that laws are obeyed and public security and order
are under control.

“It will be carried out jointly with Ops 6P Bersepadu. The employers are
advised to submit their respective police reports made between Sept 1,
2011 and Sept 10 this year,” said the statement.

The biggest problem with the 6P was that the government did not do it themselves, and allowed/authorized private companies/business to act as 'government agents'. [But there no Law governing the qualification, appointed process, authority, responsibilities and duties, process of registration, liabilities, etc - hence it was all so vague, and it makes it even more difficult to hold these 'third parties' liable for anything]

This is an issue where we must have a Royal Commission of Inquiry...or maybe SUHAKAM should conduct a public inquiry...or maybe a Parliamentary Select Committee must be set up to investigate all the 'bungles' during the whole 6P until now - to take the persons who abused the process and migrants to justice, and more importantly to make recommendations..,

LAWS - We need laws that are clear and precise. The practice of simply giving license or making appointments like 6P Agents, Contractor For Labour, etc should be stopped. There must always be a Law, or if a law is already there for any new type of 'government agents', there must Regulations/Rules that are legally binding and will stipulate every required aspect.

Orders(Perintah) by the Minister would be the way you start, end or reopen new periods of 6P Registration - and all this must be informed to the public. Statements made to the media is insufficient... Who has the power?

Prime Minister or Cabinet or Cabinet Committee or Cabinet Sub-Committee - is there any law that states this clearly...

Should it not be the Prime Minister as the head of the Executive who should be announcing decisions made by Cabinet - not some Chairman of this or that Cabinet Committee?Is Cabinet decisions, or Prime Minister's decision legally binding or is it just 'cakap-cakap' sahaja - Maybe all Cabinet Decisions or PM Decisions should be at the very least gazetted before it has the force of law and becomes operational. And all these should be available in the Prime Minister's Department website, easily accessed to the public...

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